The speaker of Taiwan's Taichung county council, a powerful political figure in central part of the island, was indicted Monday for attempted murder and corruption.
The prosecutor sought a 20-year jail term for council speaker Yen Ching-piao and a fine of 10 million Taiwan dollars (304,000 US).
Yen was accused of hiring gangsters to kill a businessman over a commercial dispute, and of inflating the council's public relations money by millions of Taiwan dollars, the prosecutor said.
The prosecutor also demanded prison terms of 12 years for both the council's deputy speaker Chang Ching-tang and a third official charged with graft.
Yen's family protested outside Taichung district court over the indictment, which came hours after a court had allowed the three defendants to be released on bail. Due to the indictment, bail was rejected.
Political observers here have kept a close eye on the case on the grounds it may have an impact on parliamentary elections in December.
Yen backed James Soong, chairman of the opposition People First Party, in the presidential polls last year.
Soong narrowly trailed Chen Shui-bian from the Democratic Progressive Party who won the elections – TAIPEI (AFP)
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